Social Networks Leaking Users Data To Tracking Sites

By Mike Sachoff

Browsing profile linked to unique identifier

Many popular social networking sites typically make personal information available to companies that track users' browsing habits and allow them to link anonymous browsing habits to specific people, according to a new study by the Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI).

"When you sign up with a social networking site, you are assigned a unique identifier," says Craig Wills, professor of computer science at WPI.

"This is a string of numbers or characters that points to your profile. We found that when social networking sites pass information to tracking sites about your activities, they often include this unique identifier. So now a tracking site not only has a profile of your Web browsing activities, it can link that profile to the personal information you post on the social networking site. Now your browsing profile is not just of somebody, it is of you."



Social networks use third-party tracking sites to learn about the browsing habits of their users. Cookies are managed by a browser and contain information that allows tracking sites to build profiles of the websites visited by a user. Each time a user visits a new website, the tracking site can review those cookies to offer ads that might be relevant to the user.

Wills says social networks go to far by allowing the transmission of unique identifiers. "Users put a lot of information about themselves on social networking sites," said Wills.

"A lot of that information can be seen by other users, by default. There are mechanisms users can use to limit access to their information, but we found through previous research that most users don't take advantage of them."

With a unique identifier tracking sites could gain access to a users personal information. Wills says this could lead to having one's identity linked to inaccurate browsing profiles, depending on how many people use the same computer.

"Tracking sites don't have the ability to know if, for example, a site about cancer was visited out of curiosity, or because the user actually has cancer," said Wills. "Profiling is worrisome on its own, but inaccurate profiling could potentially lead to issues with employment, health care coverage, or other areas of our personal lives."




"Once someone is in possession of your unique identifier, there is so much they can learn about you. And even if tracking sites do not use the information themselves, can they guarantee that it will never find its way into other hands? For these reasons, we feel this issue is something that we should to be concerned about."

Get Instant Digital Pictures with Polaroid PoGo Camera

Polaroid rolled out PoGo Instant Digital Camera at CES 2009 making it the first portable digital camera and instant printer combination available in the U.S. and Europe. It’s the same Polaroid experience that we all know and love, but it’s digital.

The camera is the second product in the Polaroid PoGo line of products. Polaroid PoGo Instant Mobile Printer is first and the camera uses the same ZINK Paper and ZINK Zero Ink Printing Technology that the printer uses. Just as you would normally do with pictures from your digital camera, you can crop, edit, and zoom in on your pictures on a 3-inch color LCD screen before printing them.

The ZINK Zero Ink Printing Technology replaces ink cartridges and ribbons with the ZINK paper, which actually has the ink embedded into it. It takes 60 seconds for the camera to print a 2 x 3-inch photo. The printed pictures are immediately dry to touch and are durable and smudge and water-resistant.

The camera weighs 10 ounces, measures 4.7-inches wide, and is 3-inches tall. Users also have the option of printing with or without borders. The camera also contains a rechargeable lithium-ion battery.

The Polaroid PoGo Instant Digital Camera will be available in March and is set to cost $199. Ten-packs of ZINK Photo Paper are priced at $4.99 and 30-packs for $12.99.

More WebProNews Videos

Ensure Privacy and Security with WebAround

Do you use a webcam frequently? If so, we have a product to tell you about that you might be interested in. Do you ever worry about what people might see behind you? Are you appalled at what you see behind other people? A couple of nurses were not satisfied with their neurosurgeon’s surroundings and created a backdrop called a WebAround.

A WebAround is a round, collapsible webcam backdrop designed to give webcam users more privacy. It is simple and portable and makes webcam users feel more comfortable about their surroundings. A WebAround is 40 inches in diameter and about 15 inches when folded. It is made of a lightweight nylon material.

Maybe you work from home and would prefer the rest of the office didn’t see your messy house. Or, maybe you have to use your webcam while you’re traveling and in a restaurant or something and need a backdrop to block out the environment. Another scenario could be that you simply want privacy and consistency with your background.

The WebAround is available in Grey, Emerald Green, and Ocean Blue. Each WebAround is $29.95 and can be ordered from their site.

More WebProNews Videos

Get Rid of Clumsy Cords with Powermat

Are you tired of all the power cords and adaptors that go along with charging your devices? If so, Powermat could be the answer to your needs. As demonstrated in this video by Powermat’s President Ron Ferber, the company revealed a line of products at CES 2009 that allows you to charge 3 to 6 devices on a single mat. Powermat charges electronic devices such as ipods, phones, mp3 players, cameras, and even laptops.

Powermat applies the principles of magnetic induction to produce the wireless power. The device includes a very thin mat with a receiver that connects to the appliance you need to charge. The Powermat plugs into an electrical outlet and users can place their gadgets on the mat to charge. All your appliances are capable of being charged simultaneously as the mat and receiver work together.

At this point, the Powermat has 5 different mats that are targeted for different living spaces. They include: home, bedside, desk, travel, and PC. The mats are available in white or black.

To be completely honest, we realize that the Powermat is not entirely wireless since it has to plug into an electrical outlet. It is still a very innovative product on the way to becoming completely wireless and actually could already be incorporated into furniture and walls.

Release date for the Powermat is set for this fall. The mats are priced at $100 and the cases/docks for each device will cost $30.

More WebProNews Videos

Speed Test: iPhone 3G vs. T-mobile G1

Swiss Army Knife with USB Drive, Laser Pointer and More

CES 2009 truly brings new meaning to the trite expression: “they’ve thought of everything.” In this show’s case, it seems that these companies truly have. Who would have ever thought to put a USB drive, laser pointer, and Bluetooth remote control into a Swiss Army knife? Well, the makers of the original Swiss Army Knife, Victorinox Swiss Army did just that and called it Swiss Army Presentation Pro.

In this video, Martin Kuster and Charles Elsener of Victorinox Swiss Army explain how this knife is now equipped with business necessities but still serves the same purpose that your grandfather used it for. The typical functions of a Swiss Army knife include a blade, scissors, nail file with screwdriver, and keyring. The more modern functions include a laser pointer and a Bluetooth remote control for Windows-only PC or laptop presentations.

On top of all that, it also has a removable 32 GB USB drive. This drive has secure data encryption technology that allows users to protect important files and presentations since the only method of access is through the owner’s fingerprint. Other features include: ECC and BCE error correction and AES and DES encryption capable.

This Victorinox Swiss Army Presentation Pro is currently in mass production and is scheduled to be available in the U.S. by the middle of May. The price starts at $169.95 for 8 GB of storage and goes up to $329.95 for 32 GB of storage.

More WebProNews Videos